By The Sea
by Apolloluver
Summary: Small towns have the most secrets. When Bella Swan left Forks ten years ago she knew nothing about the truth of the town, now on the verge of adulthood Bella finds herself in the middle of a civil war between supernatural opponents and the truth is more complicated then anyone could ever imagine, will Bella choose blood or love?


Prologue

Forks, Washington was a town built by mysteries of the supernatural kind. I first found that out when I saw my mom die at the mutter of a curse, fire overtook her body and all that was left was a pile of ash.

My aunt got me out of there quickly, after that.

But in the nine years that I left Forks till when I returned, I never forgot how my mom looked when she died, when she realized she only had a few remaining seconds of life in her. And I will never forget the eyes of her killer.

Chapter One

My Aunt Emily died at the young age of thirty-seven.

On a abnormally chilly evening for Phoenix, I'd been home alone in the small house Emily and I shared when a knock on the front door got my attention.

The officer said it had been a car crash; the driver had been so drunk they'd been driving on the wrong side of the road and hit Emily's truck head on.

For some reason, I didn't believe everything that I was told was the truth, I knew there was more details about the "crash" I didn't know, but from the sad look in his eyes, I believed that the officer knew no more than I did.

Emily Reed was my mother Renee's younger sister, and until her death-the only living family I had on my moms side. Emily had been a bachelor her whole life, never wanting kids. She had always joked that I was enough. And my grandparents had died in a car crash before I was born, so when Emily was gone, all I had left of a family was my dad's side.

Not that they were much of a family.

I hadn't seen nor heard from Charlie Swan since I was seven years old and he shoved a suitcase into Emily's hands, kissed me on the forehead, shoved a necklace into my hand and sent Emily and me off in an old, rusty truck.

I'd never seen pictures, never received birthday or Christmas cards, and never received a phone call. It was to my belief that after I left Forks almost ten years ago, Charlie had forgotten that I even existed.

I was proved wrong when one day, a week after Emily's death a plain black car-the kind that doesn't attract attention- pulled up into my driveway and the driver told me to pack my bag, I was headed back to Forks.

So I did as the driver, Aro told me. He said he worked for my father- which completely confused me because when I had left Forks- my father had been a police officer, this Aro guy acted like my father was the president of some huge corporation or something.

I didn't question much of what I was told, not because I wasn't suspicious, but because I didn't care much at that time on what happened to me. I was just about to be seventeen, so I couldn't live by myself- I had no other family, and Emily and I tended to stay to ourselves in Phoenix. We were quiet people, we didn't need anyone else. We made our own food and did what was needed to survive, but we never went above and beyond socially. Emily worked from home, spending her days either on the phone with her boss or behind the computer. And while I attended High School, I had no regular clique that I hung out with or a best friend I was attached to the hip with. I was just… Bella. Bella Swan, I was smart, abnormally pale, and somewhat of a nerd. I spent more time at the bookstores around my neighborhood than I did at the mall or at football games.

I had no one.

I packed lightly, for I didn't have much I was emotionally attached to. Emily didn't spoil me in the typical, get whatever you want kind of way. Emily believed that we only got what we needed, and very few times did I get what I wanted. "The littlest things have the most meaning." That's what Emily had always told me.

It only took me three suitcases to pack up everything I needed for Forks, before departure Aro asked me if there was anyone I wanted to say goodbye to, but I had none.

I then spent the next day traveling north with Aro and another passenger, a curly haired woman with a nice smile named Heidi. We stopped only a few times for food, and for the two to switch off driving, somewhere in the back of my mind I wondered why we hadn't flown, but something about the alertness of Aro's eyes as he scanned every inch of land around us and the tension that never seemed to relax in Heidi's neck told me it wasn't something they would answer.

In the back on my mind, an image of my mother's killer's eyes flashed in my mind. I stayed quiet for most of the drive.

Renee Swan had been a gentle woman, and a great mother. I remembered warm green eyes and a soft touch whenever I thought of her, followed by a backlash of sadness when I thought of how I never got to say goodbye.

Emily and I didn't stay in Forks for long after Renee died, from what I later heard it was released in the newspapers as an accident- Renee had been cooking when the stove spontaneously exploded, oil covering her body and flames soon after.

Despite how many times I heard it, I knew it was a lie. My mother hadn't even been _in _a kitchen when she died, she was in the woods-near the river. It certainly hadn't been an _accident. _

But another thing Emily taught me was that weird things would happen in my life, and for the sake of my well being- I had ought to accept them and move on without questioning.

Questioning things usually got people in trouble.

A week and two days after Emily's death, we drove onto the Main Street of Forks, Washington.

It was a small town, I remembered that much. Everyone knew everyone here; meaning nobody would know me, but everyone would know about me.

The drive through the main part of town was quick, only a few shops and a couple outdoors shops bordered the main road, the closest high way was half an hour away, and the quickest way to Seattle. The biggest city near this nobody town.

Aro drove us towards the mountains, as we got deeper into the woods I began peaking around our surroundings. The deeper we went, the bigger and more extravagant the houses became, I faintly remembered my old house-well, the family house.

We arrived there about ten minutes later. Pulling up a long highway and towards the gigantic house on the hill, the one with a great view of everything around the perimeter.

"Welcome to the House of Swan." Heidi said, flashing me a smile and then getting out of the car, behind me I heard the trunk pop open followed my the thud of suitcases hitting the ground.

Aro opened my door for me, "Follow me, Isabella. Heidi will get your belongings," he threw a worried glance at the sky, "Lets get you inside, it looks like a storm is about to hit."

Ignoring his order I stretched slowly when I got out of the car, taking in my surroundings.

A huge front yard surrounded by a metal fence, a ginormous oak on the west wing of the house, a four car garage, three story house with huge exterior columns in the front, and a bright red set of doors that stood out against the white house.

This was the house where I grew up.

Practically pushed by Aro, I made my way towards the house, trying not to be annoyed with his frantic movements.

What was he so afraid of?

In fact, it seemed like everything about this house was tense, like we were awaiting attack, the curtains were drawn at every window, the garden-the same one my mother had once loved and praised like it was her very own Eden was now sparse, like nobody had the time to tend to it. And even the dark woods surrounding the house seemed to send of waves of unease, in the skies thunder boomed.

Aro squeaked, "Please Ms. Swan, lets just get inside."

Suddenly Heidi was by my side, "Excuse him, Isabella. Aro is terrified of thunder, aren't you Aro?"

He looked at me with wide, terrified eyes. "Extremely miss."

"Well you should have said so," I said, picking up my pace towards the front door, behind me I heard Aro sigh in relief.

"Don't mind him," Heidi said, I looked over at her, surprised to find that she was talking to me- she'd been quiet the whole drive here. "Aro is a scarred little man, I think he's been scarred for so long, he doesn't know what its like to be brave anymore."

I raised an eyebrow at her, "I've never met anyone so scarred of storms, shouldn't he be used to it? Living here after all."

Heidi sighed, brushing a strand of light brown hair that had fallen into her face away, "I suppose. But living in Forks, Isabella, you will soon find that there are very different types of storms than those you see in Phoenix."

I felt like there was a double meaning behind that, but once again I kept questions to myself.

Heidi opened the door.

Inside the mansion-because well, it was a mansion- was only a bit livelier than the outside.

The foyer opened up to a grand staircase that lead up to the second story of the house, white marble steps and shiny white tiled floors, doors lead off into other sections of the house but I studied the room for a seconds. Tall dark walls held portraits of my supposed ancestors, a fountain situated in the middle of the room made no noise, but there was _ironically _a white marble swan sprouting water from its mouth. "Cute," I said, shooting Heidi a look.

She shrugged, "It's been here since I began working for your father."

I looked at her curiously, "And what is it exactly my father does?"

Her violet eyes widened, obviously trying to come up with an answer she began to stutter. "Well… he…"

"I am a business man." A deep voice boomed from the top of the staircase.

Looking up in surprise I met the eyes of a man I hadn't seen since I was a childhood, my hand went instinctively to my pocket where I touched a cold silver chain I'd shoved in when I was packing for Forks.

Charlie Swan was had arrived.

I couldn't meet his eyes, so instead I nodded. Trying not to let my temper get to me.

So he was alive? After all these years of absolutely no contact whatsoever? And it wasn't like he wasn't doing well, the polished floors and shiny marble staircase showed proof of that, and yet I'd never got a single card of phone call. Emily had never got a check to help her in raising me, she'd been from job to job trying to put food on the table-and here was my _father _owning a mansion and being a _businessman._

"Why you have grown," He said, a wistfulness I didn't want to look into was in his voice, "You look just like your mother."

I refused to look him in the eye.

After a few seconds I heard the sound of him coming down the stairs, and in a moments notice he was in front of me. I kept my head down, seeing polished leather shoes and black dress pants. Nothing like the Charlie Swan I remembered, my father was a police officer. He dressed in ratty jeans and flannel shirts, who was this guy?

"I understand if you do not wish to talk to me, Bella. I know I haven't been there for you these past couple years, but please believe me when I say it was only to keep you safe."

I couldn't remain silent anymore, throwing my head up I glared into the man I had once called my father. At first it was like looking into a mirror, seeing my own eyes stare back at me, but while I could imagine mine were full of fury, I could only see sadness in his.

Charlie Swan had grown older since I saw him, if I remembered correctly, he was barely forty-if that. But his hair wasn't the same dark brown and curls I remembered, it was cut close to his head, and while still dark there was obvious grey there too. His beard and mustache had been neatly trimmed, but his skin seemed pale. Even for someone who had lived in Forks their whole life, he seemed… sick.

"Keep me safe from what?"

He sighed, looking pained. Heidi stepped beside him, clutching on him as if she were helping him stand. A few seconds passed before Aro did the same.

"You were born at the wrong time, Isabella. An old rivalry goes on between our family and some others, after what happened to Renee… well I couldn't let that happen to my daughter. So I had Emily take you far away, I had to cut off contact because it was too dangerous for you, I did it all trying to care for you, Bella."

"Don't talk to me like you care about me," I growled through clenched teeth, "You know nothing of what I have been through. If you cared like you say you do, you would have been there for me when I needed you most. But you weren't."

He looked at me with pained eyes but I didn't want to hear more.

"Can I see my room? I want to hear where I'll be spending these next few months till I am eighteen."

Charlie sighed, patting Heidi on the hand. "Help her, my dear."

She nodded, grabbing my suitcases and making her way towards the staircase, "Follow me, Isabella."

Without sparring Charlie a glance I followed her, my shoes tapping away on the stairs. I didn't even turn my back when I heard my father moan with agony.

Upstairs was huge; the house seemed to be bigger inside than it looked outside. I followed Heidi towards the west wing of the house; dark tile floors and neutral colored walls seemed to be the only decorations of the hallways, for the first time-following behind her I realized how pretty Heidi was. She had this curly reddish brown hair that fell to the middle of her back, and her skin was pale. But it seemed to fit her, and it made her dark grey eyes pop under thick eyelashes. I wondered if she had a husband.

"Your fathers room is near the front of the house, so he can have a view of who all is coming in and coming out of the house. Your cousins-children of your fathers brother Henry live on the east wing, there mothers room is close to them."

"I have an uncle?" I asked, trying to remember his face.

"You _had _an uncle, but he didn't live in Forks for a long time. He moved away when you were only a toddler and lived in Seattle for some time, his family only moved back here when he fell sick… he died about a year ago."

"That's… sad." I said, actually feeling sadness. Just because I didn't like Charlie meant I had to not like my uncle, especially since he left a family behind him.

"Indeed," she said, turning a corner-we headed towards the back of the house. "I didn't speak much to him, but he was always a kind man."

"How many kids does he have?"

"Just two, Leah then Seth. They're both around your age, I wouldn't be shocked if you and Leah have class together when school begins."

I internally moaned, now that wasn't something I'd given a lot of thought to.

It was nearing the end of August, not only meaning my seventeenth birthday was near- but also the beginning of school. With kids I didn't know, and teachers I would have to get used to. I guess I had been so preoccupied with Emily's death and moving north, that starting a whole new school hadn't crossed my mind.

We finally stopped outside a plain white door, Heidi smiled at me sweetly. "It hasn't changed much since you left."

It was my childhood bedroom.

Well, mostly. All of my old toys and stuffed animals- I _was _spoiled as a kid- weren't there, neither was the old rocking chair my mother used to read me bed time stores in, and the princess curtains that had adorned my windows were replaced with thick, black ones that seemed to do a good job at keeping out whatever small amount of light was seeping in through the window.

But it was there, barely. The same pale purple paint, same queen sized bed, white dresser, thick black rug over wood floors, and sparkly chandelier I'd loved as a child hung from the ceiling.

"If you need anything, let me now." She dropped my suitcases on the floor and straightened her dark green blouse.

I nodded, "Thank you, Heidi."

"Anytime, oh and Bella?"

"Yes?" I turned to look her in the eyes, shocked to see them filled with sadness.

"Don't be too hard on your father, he truly is a good man. But even good people make bad choices."

It sounded like something Emily would say, so instead of giving her the reply I wanted- I just nodded and picked up my first suitcase. Plopping it on the bed and trying not to think about how much the sound of the door being closed made me want to cry.

I had to be strong. They couldn't see me cry, I wouldn't allow it.

So I began to unpack, the first suitcase was most of my clothes. Honestly, I didn't have many. While we'd had more money in later years, Emily and I had never been shoppers. I only had a couple pairs of jeans, about five pairs of shoes, and a collection of shirts that ranged from tees from my favorite band to blouses and tank tops. I sighed, realizing that I'd need a new wardrobe. I didn't have much that would protect me from Forks cold weather, in Phoenix it barely rained-and I'd never seen it snow. But I suppose that would change up north, it was still summer here yet I'd been cold outside.

Another thing I hadn't missed about Forks.

By the time I was finished unpacking it was growing darker outside, adding to the gloomy feeling I got from this place.

I'd cleaned the room, dusted and vacuumed with some supplies I'd found in a hallway closet, replaced my childhood clothes that for some odd reason had remained in the dressers- with my new ones, not that I'd be able to wear them often. And I'd even changed out of my yoga pants and hoodie (I'd tried to dress comfortably for the long drive here) into a pair of dark jeans and a plaid button up, sweeping my dark hair into a pony tail and giving myself a quick once-over in the mirror, I decided it was time to go looking for my 'family'.

Outside the hallways had grown considerably darker, by my room a long stretch of hallway windows were covered by the same thick black curtains as the ones in my room. It depressed me, when I was little there was never curtains down when there was still light outside, the floor-to-ceiling windows had shown the fantastic view of the woods and mountains out back, but I guess a lot of things had changed since I left Forks.

There had to be at least twenty rooms on the upper half of the mansion, and many were connected by multiple hallways that lead to me getting lost. I ended up finding myself at a dead end, with only one room in front of me-one I didn't remember from my childhood. I was about to pay it no attention till I heard the music, soft notes of a piano from behind the closed door.

I wondered for a few seconds who was behind the door, but my better judgment told me to go on and try to find my way downstairs. I didn't want to stumble upon any strange relatives like that.

Eventually I found my ways to the balcony that overlooked the foyer, down below I spotted Charlie dressed casually, talking to a man about the same age as him with blonde hair. More family? I tried tiptoeing back into the darkness of the hallways but Heidi spotted me before I could, she smiled softly. "Come down Bella, its time for introductions."

I swallowed my fear and tried not to trip on the way down the stairs, doing my best to ignore the stares. More people had piled into the foyer when Heidi had called my name, an older Indian woman- _Quileute _I chided myself, remembering the name of the local Indian tribe from the neighboring town _La Push. _Beside the woman were two kids about the same age as I; one was a teenage girl with long, silky black hair that instantly made me envious. She glared at me, as I grew closer, rolling a pair of bright amber eyes when I almost stumbled on a stair. The boy was a few years younger, but at least he looked nice. He had this big, cheerful smile on his face. Maybe there was a decent soul around here.

"Bella," Heidi was quick to my side, she squeezed my hand like she was trying to comfort me. "These are your cousins, Leah and Seth." She nodded at the girl and boy, "And their mother, Sue Swan." The older _Quileute _woman.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Bella." Sue smiled warmly at me, she was a pretty older woman, she and Leah shared the same amber eyes. "I haven't seen you since you were a toddler."

I forced myself to exchange her smile and went to shake her hand and was surprised when she pulled me in for a hug.

"You look so much like your mother, I can see her in you." I yanked back, starring at her shocked. Then it occurred to me; of course she'd known my mother. She was her husband's sister in law.

"Thank you."

She smiled sadly.

"And this is Carlisle, my closest friend." Charlie spoke suddenly, smiling big at me. Like he'd forgotten our earlier conversation, "Carlisle my dear friend, you remember my Bella."

Carlisle- the blonde guy looked straight out of a magazine. He had to be older than forty, but he had this youthful look to his face. He was the kind of guy that Emily would of worshipped, tall, blonde, and his eyes were a dark stormy blue, he was beautiful.

"Of course I remember Isabella," thankfully he didn't hug me like Sue did, just shook my hand formally.

I was grateful, despite the fact that I was trying not to pass out at his attractiveness.

"Nice to meet you," I said, voice quiet.

"The same to you, my wife Esme would be delighted to meet you, but she's preoccupied." He laughed softly.

Charlie rolled his eyes, "She probably won't be out of the piano room until midnight, you'll have to drag her out kicking and screaming."

"Actually, I think not. Kate has fallen ill, and despite how smart they can be, I don't think Edward, Alice, and especially not Emmett know how to take care of her."

Heidi gently pulled me away from the two men, pulling me towards the kitchen. "Carlisle Cullen is your fathers closest companion, he used to be a surgeon for Forks until he retired early and lives in a mansion of his own with his wife and four kids,"

"He looks extremely young," I whispered back.

For the first time in my life- I had a crush. On a married man with a wife and kids, but still. My only other crush had been Justin Timberlake in his NSYNC days.

She laughed, leading me down a brightly lit hallway, I began to smell food. "His wife looks just as young, sweet lady Esme is. But his kids are all going to be models one day, especially Edward. He's your age too! Emmett graduated from Forks High last year, but Alice and Edward are in your grade. Their youngest daughter, Kate, is only twelve."

"Such strange names," I said. All of them were, Edward and Alice? Emmett and Esme? Carlisle? It sounded something out of a book written in Old English.

"Yeah, well, you'll soon find that everything about this town is strange Bella." She gave me a fake smile, like she was hiding a grimace. "Come, we made dinner."

"We?"

"Yes, Aro and I." She led me through a doorway and into one of the most modern kitchens I had ever seen, nothing like the one I'd left in Forks. I remembered bright yellow cabinets and pink and white tile, Renee had wanted to bring life into our home. But this room was completely different; it was all dark woods and neutral colors, just like outside.

I tried to ignore that this was where the police said my mother died. The _accident._

Heidi practically shoved a plate of something warm and good smelling into my hands before leading me towards a joint dining room, big, intimidating. Dark wood floors, grey stonewalls. The north wall was floor-to-ceiling windows, but like the rest of the house; thick black curtains kept the sun from shining through.

"Why do you all keep the curtains down and the light out?"

Heidi looked up from her plate of food, swallowing slowly like she was thinking of an answer.

"Because sometimes its better to keep whats inside, inside. And leave everything foreign to the House of Swan out?"

"And sunlight is a bad thing?"

And then she looked at me with this sad, sad look like she felt sorry for me. Like I was some kicked puppy.

"I'm sorry about your aunt Bella, I knew her before you and her… left. Emily was a kind woman with a bright future, it's a shame she died so young."

I shrugged; taking a bite of whatever meat was on my plate. "I don't believe the police report, about how she died."

Heidi froze mid-bite, shocked grey eyes met mine.

"They said it was a car crash, but they also say my moms death happened in a kitchen, when I know it was in the woods. I was there." I looked Heidi in the eyes, "Everything I've been told about their deaths was a lie, but because I'm _too young _or _trying to be protected _I can't know, I know nothing about how Renee died, and I know nothing about how Emily died. And the fact that people think I'm gullible enough to believe anything I'm told makes me feel offended."

I stopped talking to take a bite of my food, this time looking away towards the covered windows. Even though I couldn't see through the curtains, I could still imagine the lush forest that grew behind these windows, still feel the wind hit me, still smell the plants.

"I don't like being lied too, if I'm not told the truth I'll have to find it myself."


End file.
